MINING


GOING DOWN


The demand for minerals such as nickel, lithium and copper is growing more than ever as they are increasingly tied to energy security and economic growth. As near- surface deposits dwindle, mining operations are forced to look deeper under the Earth’s surface. At these depths, safety and efficiency are more important than ever. Julian Champkin investigates.


ABB will work on the upgraded hoist system at Renison mine.


M


inerals are needed. They get mined and the easiest to access are always the first to be mined. They are, therefore, the first to become


exhausted. That has been the case since the Bronze Age; Cornishmen mined tin and Phoenicians sailed from the ends of the Mediterranean to trade for it. There is now no easily extractable tin left in Cornwall. The same is happening today on a much greater scale. As the demand for metals and minerals increase, the resources that remain to us are increasingly hard to extract. And demand has certainly never been higher. Demand


for nickel and other rare earths has jumped by up to 8%, while copper supply is projected to fall short of demand by 30% by 2035, according to the International Energy Agency. Demand for potash is also forecast to climb 70% by 2050.


28 | May/June 2026 | www.hoistmagazine.com


To find and extract these, mines are being dug deeper


as ores must, therefore, be raised further to reach the surface. The hoisting equipment for that task becomes ever more complex and sophisticated. Since the hoists must lift from deeper, they must also


lift faster. That is a consequence of simple arithmetic: to maintain the same rate of production from twice as deep you must either go to the huge expense of digging a second lift-shaft or, more likely, you must make your existing shaft and hoist work twice as hard; you must either double its speed or double the volume and weight it can lift at each journey. All of which increases production costs. These have


increased by nearly 30% globally over the past five years, according to Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Therefore, these new hoists must also lift more efficiently with less wasted


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